It gets used a lot and I play steam games on it. I noticed that of recent, and since gaming more and using multiple applications, it is becoming more sluggish and quite loud.

Minimal research leads me to believe I need to upgrade my RAM to 2 x 8GB and to a 500GB SSD.

1. Are my presumptions correct (baring in mind I want it to be as fast as possible and last another 5 years minimum)
2. I know that the RAM change is easily done but does the SSD require a specialist to change and does this require further parts other than the SSD itself?
3. Are there any specific brands you can advise for or against?

Thanks for the information. I did read that guide but when it gets down to whether my macbook is SATA 3GB or 6GB i honestly dont know, and it sounded a bit technical. I am self confessed to not know anything about my macbook pro technically so I need it in laymans terms really.

Thanks for the information. I did read that guide but when it gets down to whether my macbook is SATA 3GB or 6GB i honestly dont know, and it sounded a bit technical. I am self confessed to not know anything about my macbook pro technically so I need it in laymans terms really.

Click to expand...

The early/late-2011 MBPs all have SATA3 (6 Gb/s) interfaces.

I have a 512GB Samsung 840 Pro in my early-2011 machine (2.3GHz i7, 16GB RAM and 1GB 6750M) and it runs at full speeds (500MB/s in both reads and writes). Unfortunately, it succumbed to Radeongate two months ago and I replaced it with a maxed-out 15" rMBP.

SSD & RAM will help with the sluggishness. The upgrades are easy, but make sure that you have the proper tools, and take your time. You should also get some sort of enclosure, such that you can clone your HDD contents onto the SSD before switching them, and also such that you can continue using the HDD as external storage.

Note that the major bottleneck for gaming is most likely the GPU - so SSD & RAM won't help with gaming performance, except that loading times should go up.

Known brands for RAM are Kingston, Crucial, Corsair...
SSD of choice for most is the Samsung 840 EVO

MacRumors attracts a broad audience
of both consumers and professionals interested in
the latest technologies and products. We also boast an active community focused on
purchasing decisions and technical aspects of the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and Mac platforms.